Campaign Finance

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<p>One of San Diego’s largest laws firms amended its official disclosure forms with the City of San Diego in March after an article in La Prensa San Diego exposed that some of its lobbyists had failed to properly document campaign contributions given to City Attorney Mara Elliott.</p>

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<p>John McCann, a long-time Chula Vista Councilman, accepted over $40,000 in unpaid campaign literature from two entities who went unpaid for more than a year after the election, apparently in violation of the City’s campaign finance laws.</p>

<p>The City’s Municipal Code defines “a loan or extension of credit” as a campaign contribution subject to the limit of $300 and only permissible from a person, not a company or entity. </p>

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<p>Chula Vista politician John McCann used a legal defense fund to recoup legal fees he owed from a 2014 defamation lawsuit he filed – and he appears to have violated state and local election laws by using a legal defense fund to file a lawsuit, not defend one. </p>

<p>State and local elections laws restrict the use of legal defense funds to only pay fees and costs associated with prosecutions or lawsuits filed against candidates or elected officials. </p>